The future of the Blood Bowl video game franchise has been secured following the acquisition of rights and publishing duties by Slitherine, the company behind Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. This move comes after the previous publisher, Nacon, filed for insolvency.
Slitherine has obtained the license, publishing rights, and the back catalog for the Blood Bowl series. The publisher confirmed its commitment to moving forward with the next Blood Bowl game that was previously announced by Nacon. Furthermore, Slitherine will continue its collaboration with Cyanide Studio, the long-time developer of the Blood Bowl series, to produce the upcoming title.
Nacon's insolvency, which was announced in February, cast uncertainty over several of its projects, including GreedFall 2, Hell is Us, RoboCop, and Test Drive Unlimited. The publisher cited a failure by its majority shareholder, Bigben Interactive, to repay a loan as the cause for its financial difficulties.
The most recent entry in the franchise, Blood Bowl 3, launched in 2023 to a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam and generally failed to meet player expectations. An IGN review at the time described the game as a "sloppy, muddy, buggy rehash of a better game."
Originally conceived by Games Workshop in the 1980s, Blood Bowl is recognized as a prominent fantasy sports strategy franchise. It blends turn-based tactical gameplay with intense on-pitch combat and the distinct dark humor of the Warhammer universe.
Marco Minoli, Director of Publishing at Slitherine, expressed enthusiasm for the acquisition, stating, “Blood Bowl is one of the most iconic and distinctive strategy franchises in videogames, and we’re genuinely honoured to help shape its future alongside Cyanide and Warhammer.” He added that Slitherine has “enormous respect for what Cyanide has built over the years” and is eager to collaborate with the studio and the game's community. Slitherine also indicated a focus on community feedback, long-term development, and player engagement for the series' future.
Patrick Pligersdorffer, CEO of Cyanide, welcomed the partnership, saying, “We are delighted to partner with Slitherine to ensure the future of the Blood Bowl video games. Slitherine has proven its expertise, publishing high-quality strategy games. We believe it is a perfect match.”
More details regarding the next Warhammer Blood Bowl game are expected to be revealed during the Slitherine Next Event on July 22.